“Oh no.” Kira’s dimples flashed as she opened the lift doors. “It’s justtheirbelief. But we are going to rub it in thatwe, as usual, know better.”
Okay, she could get on board with that. She followed Kira into the small metal space. “I actually met him while I was in the Himalayas…” She gave Kira a quick rundown of what had occurred, as they ascended.
“Wow.” Kira’s mouth fell open as they stepped out into the corridor. “That,” she grinned, “is total Hallmark.”
Ash huffed. “Maybe, but really scary.”
“And his dragon’s stunning,” Kira said, pushing open a huge, dark wooden door.
Ash frowned. She’d actually never looked at Race’s dragon properly, only knew it was mammoth-sized, entirely black, and frightening.
“Here we are. Race’s quarters.”
She followed Kira into a small foyer. With a soft hum, the lights flickered on?—
Her jaw nearly hit the floor at the sheer luxury of the place. Granite walls soared up to meet curved beams, and a massive bed of taupe and navy sprawled beneath a carved mahogany headboard. Opposite, a glass wall revealed the snow-dusted parapets against a storm-darkened sky, the room merging seamlessly with the world outside.
“Those glass panels actually fold back into doors,” Kira said. “So, this is the bedroom, and the doors opposite—” She waved to her right. “One leads to the dressing room, with a bathroom beyond, and the other to a living room.” Kira disappeared through the first door.
Shower first. Maybe then she would feel a little less sluggish.
Ash opened her backpack, upended her things on the bed, and rummaged through them. “Damn it, everything needs a wash.”
“Bathroom has all you’ll require,” Kira called out, joining her again. “Holy crap! The obsidian dagger—you have it?”
Ash frowned at the woman’s excitement as she picked up the blade from the bed. “Sort of. I should return it to Race. We were leaving the house where we stayed, and it was just sitting on the table, so I packed it.”
“And?” Kira demanded. She looked like she’d burst out of her skin.
“And we left for the portal to get here?—”
“No, no, not that.” Kira waved it off. “I meant when you first touched it?”
“Oh…” Ash hesitated, remembering the odd moment. “It’s silly, really. It glowed—or I thought it did. Race said it was just the lamplight reflecting off the blade.”
Kira started to smile, her dimples deepening. “And its warmth seeped into your palm, like a connection, yes?”
“I guess so.” Ash eyed her warily, unsure where Kira was going with this or why the sudden interest in Race’s dagger. She dropped the weapon on the bed and steered the conversation toward something that actually mattered. “Mind if I use your washer? I’ve run out of clean clothes.” She picked up the leggings. “I could reuse these, I suppose.”
“Just leave your things in the bathroom hamper for now. I’ll get you something fresh.” Kira’s brow furrowed, her gaze intent in a way that made Ash’s skin prickle.
A little uneasy, Ash remained silent.
A low whine drew her attention to the glass wall. A storm had started, and snow pelted the pane like tiny fists. She hurried across. “The weather’s getting worse. Won’t it pile up out there?”
“No,” Kira said, joining her. “The entire castle and the surface here is warded. You’ll get the storm, but the snow will melt and drain. Look.”
Sure enough, the granite surface had several patchy layers, with the snow already melting. “It’s so pretty here.”
“Ash?” Kira turned to her, looking a little undecided. Then she shrugged. “Do you mind if I check something out?”
Something in her tone had Ash tensing. “What?”
“Don’t look so worried, it’s nothing bad, I promise.” She smiled. “Humor me. Summon the obsidian dagger.”
She blinked. “Why would I do that?”
“Testing a theory. Just call it to you, please?”
